Travel

Zurich
GRAND RESORT BAD RAGAZ  
Members of the Swiss Winter Olympic team have trained here, using a clinic that can test everything from ankle strength to lung capacity. Others come for nose jobs and Botox. In the spa, the thermal water that made the resort's name is pumped into rooms where guests can wallow in an egg-shaped Jacuzzi. Food can be spartan if you choose the Wellness options, but you'll need Olympic levels of dedication to ignore the Äbtestube restaurant. Less than an hour from Zurich and with space for 300 delegates, this is a popular hotel for conferences — and break-out time in the spa's clothes-off heat areas is sure to break the ice. resortragaz.ch

Surrey
BROOKLANDS HOTEL & SPA
Petrolheads rejoice. The Mercedes-Benz Driving Experiences racetrack is yards from the reception of the new Brooklands Hotel & Spa, which means grandstand views of the action, whether you're having a pedicure or checking in for a conference. While vases are as likely to contain sparkplugs as flowers, fortunately oils in the gorgeous spa — all rough stone walls and low-lit rooms — are at the cutting edge of beauty, rather than racing, technology: Lubatti facials created by Tracey Malone, sister of Jo, body treatments by Jane Scrivner and nails by Butter London are a must. The pedicure includes a rubdown with their fabulous Rock Off lotion, top gear if you want to blitz cracked heels. brooklandshotelsurrey.com

London
AMAN AT THE CONNAUGHT
Amanresorts has created its first and only UK spa in the recently upgraded Connaught. It's in a basement where high ceilings and natural materials make you feel more cocooned than marooned underground. There's a tiny pool, candlelit relaxation area and well-equipped gym. Fruit kebabs and herbal teas are complimentary, while exclusive treatments are inspired by Asian therapies. Guests book a time slot and a therapist designs an 'experience' to suit — maybe a Chinese acupressure massage or Himalayan crystal salt scrub. This isn't a place for quick-fix manicures: savour the quiet and make the most of a treatment room with a private steam room and dressing area. the-connaught.co.uk

Berlin
ONO SPA MANDALA  
Berlin's Potsdamer Platz, with its traffic and busy office workers, isn't a location you'd expect to find a Zen hangout. But look up: the ONO Spa, on the 11th floor of the Mandala hotel, is literally above all the chaos. It's a white- on-white space, with floor-to-ceiling windows, a relaxation area and plenty of sauna and other heat experiences. The Herb Ritts prints of toned torsos and legs provide a spur to work the fitness equipment, including an up-to-the-minute PowerPlates vibration trainer. A popular way to shake off the cares of the day is to follow the outdoor Via Sensus reflexology trail. Take off your shoes and let the embedded pebbles do their work while you walk around the circuit a few times. themandala.de; onospa.de

• Tweet